Keeping A Healthy Mind

Hope you are well, today I will publish a small post on how to keep a healthy mind. This is so important with helping with your mental health, having a healthy positive mind will help with your well-being.

How to keep your mind healthy

Having a balanced diet:

Firstly eating the right food. Of course you already know that eating healthy is good for your physical health but it also helps with your mental health and has a positive effect on your mind. It is suggested that a good diet can play a role in the development, management and prevention of several conditions including - depression, schizophrenia and alzheimer's disease - however this is not to say that it will control these conditions or cure them but helps with the management of these conditions. The Mental Health Foundation have reported that fewer than half of those who report a mental health problem consume less fresh fruit - but this could be because the mental health issues can cause a lack of interest in eating healthily. However that said there is little doubt eating a balanced diet will help with your well-being.

Examples of eating healthily include - eating foods that are antioxidants as they can help improve focus, problem solving, and memory. Fish - you've all probably heard about this before but fish is the ultimate brain food - eating fish a few times a week can help keep a healthy mind. Avocado - these have mono-saturated fat which increases blood flow and with a increased blood flow it helps keep a healthy brain. Whole grains, olive oil, onions (these have antioxidant enzymes that may help block damage to the blood-brain barrier, superfoods - these are the best foods to eat for the most nutritional punch, and I'm also going to add on breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, eating breakfast before you go off to school or work can really help the brain to become more mentally active for the day ahead.

As well as particular good food to eat, supplements are also very important. These include: Omega-3, B Vitamins, Water, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C to name a few.

Keeping your mind active:

Is it important to keep your mind busy? Over the years there has been studies and speculation that keeping your mind busy can help with diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia. An example of this is that it is suggested that doing crosswords and other brain-training activities that keep your mind active can be very helpful for your mental well-being.

Other mental activities for your brain can include - playing games like scrabble, as the aim of the game is to create words with the letters you have it can be very stimulating. Reading is another example, you can read anything from books and magazines to the back of cereal boxes, reading keeps your mind pumping and you also learn new things at the same time. You could also watch a thought-provoking movie with films like that it can keep your mind pondering for a few days afterwards too. Video games can also be good at keeping your mind busy, when you play most games you are constantly working out what you need to do and it keeps your brain thinking. You could also be creative and start a new hobby, learning something new keeps your mind very busy, for example learning to play a new instrument.

Physical Exercise:

Physical exercise keeps your body fit but also keeps your mind and mental well-being healthy. Exercise increases blood-flow and oxygenates the brain. There's a lot of examples you can do for this and it doesn't have to be too crazy. Examples include gardening - mowing the lawn, planting, raking leaves etc, going swimming - this is quite a good one as it's very good for you and it's fun to do at the same time, go on a walk or a bike ride, dance, play some sports - tennis/golf/football/rugby etc. I always find after doing exercise I feel so happy, I find when I'm in a bad mood and decide to do some exercise I always feel good afterwards.

Challenge your brain:

Learning new things is a great way to keep your mind active and healthy. Even if you heard someone say a word you hadn't heard of before, look it up, or if you see a flower that you don't recognise - find out what it is. More examples include music, as I said previously learn a new instrument, learn how to read music, or research into some new music. Learn a new language, back when you were at school did you study a foreign language? Pick that up again. Other examples include, taking up art, playing some chess, making a switch in your career, travel somewhere you've always wanted to go, go back to university - always wanted to get a degree in something but hadn't gotten the chance when you left school? Go for it now, it's never too late.

Reducing Stress:

I have written blog posts about reducing stress so if you would like more discussion and help then please have a look at my previous posts. Reducing stress can help keep your mind healthy, make sure when you are feeling stressed that you can relax yourself.

A few examples can be - bathing, having a soak in a hot bath can help, meditation can improve focus and stress, taking deep breaths can be a form of relaxation and it also oxygenates the body which keeps the brain healthy, relaxation exercises such as Yoga can help teach your body to feel calmer which will then reduce stress, having fun - take time away from work and responsibilities to just enjoy life as everyone needs a break, think positively and say yes to things, smile and laugh often not only will this help you but it will also affect those around you, get plenty of sleep - make sure you get enough sleep every night, and lastly get a pet -they can help with isolation and loneliness and help to reduce stress.

Stimulate your senses:

When you take part in something that incorporates one or more of your senses it stimulates brain activity and helps to keep your mind sharp as well as strengthening your mental acuity.

Examples include - sculpting, you use your brain to be creative and design a sculpture but you are also using your hands to feel the clay.Aromatherapy which I have mentioned before, this can really help with stress levels and calm you down, it can also be as easy as having a nice smelling candle lit whilst you are doing something else such as reading or writing. Get a message - as well as having the stress and tension worked out they often include essential oils which gives you the added benefit of a pleasant scent. Try new food - trying new food uses a few of your senses, it uses your sense of taste, your smell and your sight. Gardening can also be very beneficial in stimulating your senses, you get the feel of the soil as you plant some flowers, you can hear the nature around you, you can taste herbs or veg/fruit you've planted, and you can also appreciate the colour and beauty of the flowers you have nurtured. Going to a concert - listening to music really helps to stimulate your brain.The list goes on and on but those are just a few examples.

Be Social:

Being social helps reduce isolation and stress and stimulates the brain through shared learning experiences and emotional connections. There's so many ways nowadays to keep social, it doesn't have to be in person.

You can email or send a letter to a friend, I think it's always quite nice when you get a post card from a friend. You could join a club - it's a great way to make friends with people who have the same interests as you. You can always pick up the phone and have a chat to someone. Go out to dinner with friends or invite friends over for a dinner, go to a cooking class or a book group, play online games with some friends or just have an online chat, you can also find online discussion groups and find a topic you are interested in and chat to others who are also interested in the same topics as you.

There's so many ways to keep your mind healthy and a lot of them are so easy to do in your spare time. I hope this post has helped you or even given you some ideas of what you can do if you feel stressed or that your mind is not in a good place. I'm sure I'll write up another post about this as it's already gotten too long!